Chinese New Year in 2020

Chinese New Year in 2020 is on Saturday, the 25th of January (25/01/2020).

According to the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle, the Chinese year beginning in 2020 is the year of the Rat. Each Chinese zodiac year begins on Chinese New Year’s Day.

Rat years are believed to be the most unlucky for people born in previous years of the Rat.

Generally speaking, the rat is generally not a respected animal in the West (Europe, America). This probably has to do with its association with disease, the Black Plague, and its general habits of hanging around filthy areas. However, in China, the rat is a respected creature, so much so that it is one of the twelve animals of the Zodiac.

Qualities associated with rats in China include creativity, honesty, and generosity – a far cry from the revulsion felt by Westerners. An American will feel repulsed and possibly squeamish, while a Chinese person would most likely look at it like just another respected animal.

Chinese New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival” in modern Mainland China, is China’s most important traditional festival, celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems. Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February.

China’s Spring Festival public holiday starts on the Chinese New Year, and lasts for 7 days.